


hot summer nights

by thisainthannah



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Alcohol, DNF, Desire, Drinking, Driving, Florida, Gream - Freeform, Healing, Hickeys, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Inevitability, Late Nights, Longing, M/M, NSFW, One Week, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self Harm, Smut, Vacation, dreamnotfound, implied nsfw, long distance, vaporwave vibes kinda?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:01:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29771055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisainthannah/pseuds/thisainthannah
Summary: one week in florida.one dangerously hot uber driver.one damaged mess of a streamer.one love at first sight.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. breakaway

**Author's Note:**

> hi! another crossposted work. lol i took this off of wattpad because i didnt like it but it's back! :)

george- brighton, july ninth. (tw- relationship abuse, depression)

"luce, can we have a chat please?"

the words had been dancing around in george's mind for weeks. all he had to do was say them, and he finally did, over the phone. he'd been thinking about this chat since june, and it's july now. the ninth. 

"sure, what about, dear?"

"don't call me that," george thought as he told her to come to his flat. she should know why.

"i just need to talk to you, okay? and it's serious. please, come to my flat, alright?" he sounded angry as he explained.

"damn, alright. i'll be there in ten." his girlfriend lucy snapped. or, soon his ex. george couldn't stand the way she treated him- a cycle of argument, violence, honeymooning, her fucking someone else, guilt-tripping him into forgiving her. and promising to harm him if he didn't. harm his family, his friends, take away everything he loved. an abusive bitch, as his friend's had described her, but he hadn't truly realized until he was two years into the relationship. luckily not living together, or that'd suck. 

george waited anxiously in his living room as he awaited lucy's arrival, fidgeting with his hands and sleeves of his hoodie. it was summer in brighton. a hoodie wasn't necessary. 

unnecessary for most. 

deep in thought, george doesn't realize the rapping on the front door of his flat. 

"george! i'm here," shouted lucy from behind the door. "shit," he muttered as he opened up and let her in. 

"okay, sit down, i'm gonna get a water real quick. you need anything?" he told her, trying his hardest to be kind. if he doesn't he could end up with more bruises for his collection. 

"a water, please, baby," she responded. george secretly rolled his eyes at the pet name. 

she always acted like nothing was wrong between them, like she hadn't been hurting him for years. like she hadn't virtually diminished his sense of happiness. she was the reason he didn't trust anyone else, much less himself. she ruined him. 

george retrieved the bottled water from his refrigerator and handed it to lucy. she smiled, that devilish smile, and accepted it, taking a sip. her red lipstick stains the rim of the bottle, as it once did his shrits.

"okay, so, what did you need to talk to me about?" she said, narrowing her eyes at the sight of his fidgeting. 

"i think we should take some time apart." she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. 

"well, not some time. i want to break up, lucy. i can't keep doing this anymore." 

"can't keep doing what? can't keep loving me?"

"i don't love you anymore, alright? you're bad to me. you ruined me." george's voice increased to a shout. 

"i did nothing wrong! you're making a mistake!" lucy shouted as george tried to calm her down. he had such an urge to just spill the cold water in his bottle on the whiny woman in front of him. he hated the way she acted when anything bad happened. "i bet you're gonna leave me for one of your boys, you whore. you gay whore."

"you know exactly what you did. you're insane, lucy. i loved you, but you need help. serious fucking help."

she got up, and george flinched. usually when she got up during an argument, it meant that george was about to get his ass beat. and he was right. 

he shielded his face as lucy brought her hand up, and slapped down in his head. he was too afraid to fight back. he didn't want to hurt her, despite everything she'd done to him. he was too kindhearted. 

"lucy, please."

"shut up."

and after a few new marks were added, lucy left, slamming the door. she slammed it so hard, some of the wood of the frame cracked due to pressure. great, more ways to piss off his landlord. 

"fuck you," george muttered as he checked the damage on his door. 

he was so tired of the life he'd been living. thanks to lucy, it was just shit. he wasn't able to be comfortable in his identity. he was currently too depressed to stream anymore, or even play anything in general. all he did was listen to music, eat a little bit, and put on a happy front for his friends. 

george needed to get away. he needed to have some time away from this life, even if it was just for a week. a vacation. 

he scrambled into his office at the thought and began searching for good destinations. definitely not in europe, he wanted to be away for once. canada, perhaps? australia?

america. the states. the land of the free, it's called. 

george logged onto google and immediately searched up where he should travel to. california? no, too touristy. new york? no, too alive. 

florida?

beachy, calmer than cali, less alive than new york. it was in a southern area, which he'd heard to be welcoming, but could be scary as a bisexual man. however, he wasn't out yet, so nobody had to know. 

he mindlessly booked his ticket to the orlando airport, and started searching for decent hotels to stay in for his trip. he scrolled through a few sites before finding one, booking a week's stay on the second floor. 

the excitement rushed through him as he began searching for things to do there. clubbing, beaches, other attractions. man, florida was more interesting than he thought it would be. 

\--------

despite the excitement for his vacation, waves of depressive thoughts still swam through george's brain as he lied in his bed that night. why did lucy treat him like that? would his friends care if they saw the bruises? would they try to get him help? would they just keep their mouths closed and ignore it?

the thought of his friends not caring about his abusive situation really fucked him up. none of them knew, and he didn't want to tell them. he didn't want them to treat him differently because of his situation. 

even though he should have. booking an expensive vacation isn't the solution to an abusive past, after all. 

but at the same time, it's just very advanced retail therapy. it's not like money was an issue- he could spend a lot in florida if wanted, and still have plenty left over. it was the reason for his leaving that was an issue. 

maybe regular therapy would've been better?

nah, impromptu trip to florida.


	2. mediocrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dream's sick of this shit.

dream- orlando, july ninth. (tw- suicidal thoughts)

dream was so sick of work. 

tired of being alone all the time. well, not technically alone, but alone. he was working constantly (and awkwardly) with his passengers, but he had nobody. not a significant other at home, or a family a few blocks down. not even that many close friends. just himself. 

he did have his social media following, but come on now. he was one of those instagram heartthrob models. they wanted his body, not him. they didn't even know what his face looked like, depite constant begging. they didn't know him at all.

they wanted dream, not clay.

nobody really knew what he was like internally. he was pretty tough on the outside, but on the inside, he was filled with longing. not for money. not for fame.

for love. 

anyways, despite the thoughts sprinting through his head at very high speeds, he still showed up to work on the ninth. working as an uber driver wasn't the worst job out there when you live in a big city like miami, but it wasn't what he'd always wanted. and everyone knows that taking hot selfies for the internet won't pay your bills. 

as dream got into his toyota camry, he turned the music on. thank the heavens for spotify, or else his work drives would have been very, very uncomfortable. 

he hit shuffle on his music, and the first song that came up was "daddy issues" by the neighborhood. perfect. his followers always said that this song reminded them of him. probably because he was muscularly built, a tall, strong man, and they were all thirsty bastards. 

first stop: that one club. club space. he was always picking up a bunch of drunk riders from there. hey, it was better than them getting in a wreck on their way home. 

"hi, james, right?" he asked as he picked up his passenger. james nodded in response and got in the backseat of the camry. 

the ride was silent, minus the music. he let his passenger pick- he chose travis scott. not dream's favorite, but it wasn't awful. he'd definitely preferred the neighborhood.

"this your stop?" he asks the hungover man in his backseat. he hums and opens the door, paying dream before he does. 

"thank you man, have a blessed day."

"and you!" he forced a fake smile as james left the car. 

but hey, he tipped an extra twenty dollars. nice. 

next stop was thankfully not another club. it was an apartment complex. a nice one. 

"anna?" he asked the pretty girl that was to be riding with him. 

"yep, that's me!" she smiled as she hopped into the back. 

this ride was even more uncomfortable than the last. anna was slightly flirty, and it made dream really uncomfortable. but he was too nervous to say anything. 

"so, how long have you been workin' here?" she said, trying to start a dull conversation. 

"about two years."

he was noticeably uninterested in the chat, but she wasn't going to stop. and their drive was a longer one- thirty minutes.

"i feel like i recognize you, but i don't know where from. you use instagram?"

oh god.

"no, i mean, i used to when i was younger."

"you look a lot like this one model on there. dream."

"i don't know who that is."

"he doesn't show his face, but y'all have the same body type."

"we're at your stop, anna."

he was trying not to be an asshole, but sometimes, you just can't. 

"bye, clay," she told him. he didn't respond as she got out of the car and twirled away, and scurried into the café he'd dropped her off at. god, he hated customers like that. it's not fucking tinder, it's uber. get it right. 

besides, he didn't even like girls.

\--------

the rest of his work day was uneventful, and he didn't even have to work again until the twelfth.

on the ride home, dream didn't play any music. he liked the silence, the only sound being his running air conditioning. sometimes, it was nice to have nothing but the road to focus on, but that also left him alone with his thoughts. 

and he hated when that happened.

dream threw his wallet and phone down on the kitchen counter of his apartment and immediately walked over to the couch, throwing his head between his knees. he was so sick of everything. work was so boring. his online personality was so fake. his actual self was so troubled- a loveless man, who had virtually nothing to live for. he sometimes thought about how it'd be nice to not be living at all. to go to another world. interdimensional travel, perhaps?

maybe a world where he'd have a love.

all he wanted was that special someone. a special guy. dream had a type, of course, but you just didn't find guys like the ones he wanted over here in florida. here, you find alcoholic dickheads with thirteen brain cells- no more, no less. not the cute little boys that like white wine and hot tub sex. not the nerds who want to talk about books over a few cups of coffee. not the funny boys who have you holding your stomach in laughter as you both keep adding to the joke. 

ironic, sure, but dream was surely dreaming.

\--------

he'd been lazy after his homecoming, but finally decided to take a shower. he enjoyed the warmth of the water. 

a substitution for the warmth of a lover that he lacked, both internally and externally. the hot water spewing from the showerhead and dripping down his back and through his wavy blond hair as he lathered himself in some nicely scented body wash. 

he'd chosen a white tee and some grey sweatpants to wear after he finished his shower. 

and after a while of feeling grimy, he hopped into his personal haven of warmth. the steam clouded his vision, creating beads of condensation on the glass paned door of his walk-in shower. he doodled little smiley faces in the water droplets, and did so to the beat of his music. 

music. the one thing that made everything feel normal, even if it was just for three minutes. music can change the mood of a situation so quickly. come on now, if you were tangled up in your bed with the hottest person you'd ever met, would a steamier song not change the mood? we all know that listening to a song like "i wanna be yours" would create a mood that would imply that of sexual intent, whereas a cute song like "out like a light" would imply a lighter, sweeter tone.

anyways, back to dream. he was playing his "fuck it all" playlist. 

current song? "as the world caves in." you know, matt maltese. a love song. a song about dying with the love of your life.

something dream thought that he'd never, ever get to experience.


	3. arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> george's made it to his possible new beginning.

george- brighton, july eleventh.

george had packed everything- clothes for a week and some more, his toiletries, his laptop and chargers, things like that. if he'd forgotten anything, he could just go and buy it at the grocery store by the hotel he was staying in. 

he was just doing a sweep of his flat, making sure he'd gathered everything he needed for his trip. the drive to the airport wasn't that long, and he'd already settled that he was leaving his car at the airport for pickup. fuck an uber.

after he finished gathering his things, he headed out to his car. destination? the london gatwick airport. closest to his home in brighton. 

george never really enjoyed driving, but he did like rides. as long as he wasn't behind the wheel, it was alright. peaceful. driving into the night with his music either blaring on the speaker or through his airpods.

oh, and rain. it was always nice in the rain. it was raining as he drove out to the airport, actually. the rain made him slightly drowsy, but the beating bass of his music on his car's dashboard kept him up and running, as did his iced coffee.

the next song rolled onto george's car radio. the neighborhoods "daddy issues."

"i didn't cry when you left at first,

but now that you're dead it hurts,

this time I gotta know,

where did my daddy go?"

this song hit a deeper spot in george's heart than most others, considering the then-recent passing of his father. his shithead dad. 

even if he wasn't a good one, he was still his father. and that's what hurt the most. 

anyways, back to driving. 

\--------

after about forty-five minutes of driving, he arrived at the airport. it was still raining, not as hard but surely precipitating. 

as george walked up to the entrance of the airport, he thought. thought about if this was a good idea- taking a random week's vacation to florida because your ex-girlfriend is a piece of shit? most normal people would just get therapy.

but he wasn't fucking normal, and he knew it. 

"hey, i'm on the next flight to florida? the miami international airport," he tells the receptionist behind the desk- a decently pretty gal named tiffany. she looked like the kind of girl that would bully you in high school. 

"alright, you'll find the lobby to your left," she responds, smiling. he ran along to the area and begin his hour's wait for the flight. good thing he had a phone on full battery and infinite scrolling to do.

though he had a lot of fun in his career as a streamer, a lot of negativity came with it. a lot of people on the internet were just awful- body shaming him and his friends, making hateful tweets, just being dickheads. that sucked part of the fun out of work altogether. 

but he had his friends, and that was enough to make it worth it.

\--------

soon enough, his flight was boarding. he gathered his plane bag and got on, not having flown in a while. he knew the jet lag would bite his ass when he landed, but he didn't care. anything to be away from hell, or as everyone else knew it, brighton. away from lucy. away from all of the bad memories. 

new beginnings. 

george walked briskly as he made his way to his seat. luckily, he snagged the window seat, which was nice. a front-row view of the clouds that constantly overtake his city. 

as the plane escalated into the grey skies, he dozed off, his headphones in, playing low music. 

however, his slumber was quickly interrupted by a jolt of energy from beside him. the person he was seated next to was very... active, to say the least. constantly moving and fidgeting. 

but he didn't dare say a word. that would be way too forward.

so he went the whole flight without an ounce of rest. 

dumb move on his part, but it was manageable. it's not like he died on the flight because of his fidgety neighbor, so it ended up okay. they were actually really nice. 

but here he was, landed in miami. now, he had to wait here and get to work on the uber app. he didn't have a car with him, of course. and a rental was just too much work. a random stranger seemed to be the better of two choices.

george opened the uber app and started setting up a ride. he typed in the name of his hotel and requested a ride, paying with his apple pay he'd set up prior to the trip. he requested a ride. 

the app said "dream" was on their way.

"weird name," george thought as he awaited this dream's arrival. he wondered how awkward this ride was going to be. 

after about fifteen minutes, he was notified that his ride had arrived. he went out to the front of the airport and located the toyota camry that his driver was in. 

"hey," said the guy behind the wheel. "i have a lotta shi- er, stuff in the back, so you can sit in the front. unless you don't want to, then i can move the stuff for you." wow, how charming. a mess. 

"th-the front is fine," george responded awkwardly. why was he doing this? it's just a blond dude with a messy old car.

"alrighty," said his driver. "wanna play some music? the hotel's about an hour away from here."

great, an hour in a random car with a random man. how fucking lovely. 

"so, i'm just gonna assume by the accent that you're not from here."

"yeah, i'm from brighton. just out clearing my head." dream smiled at george's response. 

as they quieted down, the music started up. george almost chose "daddy issues" again, but decided that now wasn't the time to think of his father. instead, he chose arctic monkey's "why'd you only call me when you're high?" not much better, but didn't hold memories of the douchebag.

george heard "dream" lowly sing along to the song, and he mumbled along as well. it was on the part closer to the end in which the two started to actually sing. 

"and I can't see you here, wonderin' 'where am i?'

sort of feels like I'm runnin' out of time,

i haven't found all i was hoping to find,

you said you gotta be up in the morning,

gonna have an early night,

and you're starting to bore me, baby,

why'd you only call me when you're high?"

the two sang loudly in the car. funny how two strangers could have such a connection over a simple song.

they finished the song, both laughing loudly as they ended off. dream's voice was actually very nice, but george would not have admitted that.

they listened to song after song, singing along to each one. their voices went decently well together, despite george's being only mediocre. 

they arrived at the hotel he was staying at, which meant goodbye. "only for now," he'd thought. he'd hoped. 

dream handed george his card, which included a few things- his phone number, twitter, and work e-mail.

"oh, and george?" he said as the british disaster got out of the car.

"yeah?"

"call me 'clay' next time."


	4. recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dream recognizes this beautiful stranger, somehow.

dream- miami, july twelfth.

for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, dream had fun at work. there was something about singing in the car loudly that was just so enticing. george was talented.

there was something attractive about men who could sing.

"call me 'clay' next time."

why the fuck had he said that? next time? telling his real name, the one he concealed from even most of his friends and followers, to a random stranger at work? what the hell was wrong with him?

he stared into the mirror. it was three in the morning- far too early to be awake, but usually too late to go back to bed. an awful time unless he was at a party, with a beer in one hand and some hot guy in the other.

instead of attempting to back to bed, dream lied down and daydreamed. well, more of just thinking and imagining. it has to be daytime for daydreams.

he lied in his unmade bed and imagined himself happier. imagined himself cooped up in a warm bed with the love of his life, a person who saw his real self and not the personality he throws out to the world. the charismatic, mysterious, flirty dream was nothing like the anxious, concrete clay that he truly was the man he hid inside.

\--------

who the fuck was ringing him? time had flown, and it was nine in the morning. he picked up his phone and saw a number he hadn't registered- probably a spam caller, but they at least deserved a chance. he picked his phone up and hit the "accept call" button.

"yo," he greeted the stranger on the other end of the line.

"this is dre- er, clay, right?"

george. the cute little passenger he'd picked up last night.

"yeah, george?"

"yep, that's me."

"so..."

"can you bring me somewhere? i'll pay."

"don't worry about paying. let me get ready, alright? and text me your address while you wait, please."

"alright. th-thank you, dream."

"clay, and no problem georgie." he hung up the phone and sprang out of his bed, dashing off to the bathroom to get ready. he brushed his teeth (extra hard for whatever reason) and washed his face, letting the warm water soak into every pore of his beautiful surface.

or, beautiful as society viewed it. he'd personally seen himself as average, despite being a glamourized instagram model with thousands of worldwide admirers.

he'd finished with his bathroom routine and went off to his closet to dress. he chose a sage green tee and some black jeans, as well as some doc martens. and the chains, of course. his followers loved when he wore his silver chains.

hopefully, george did too.

no, fuck off.

as he finished getting ready, he headed out the door and got into his car. george had sent him the address of his hotel- a damn nice place, four star. most of the rooms had a queen or king sized bed and two fucking bathrooms. dream's apartment wasn't even as big.

"i'm on the way," he texted as he drove. the hotel was only about a ten minute drive away- dream lived in the nicer part of miami, thanks to that sweet modeling money. though the job wrecked him, the income was good. a half and half situation- he could afford to pay bills and eat, but he was objectified and oversexualized on the internet every single day for having abs and being tall. it sucked, as he was so insecure about his body. he grew more self-conscious with every photo he took, but he'd rather have food.

he drove in silence, and finally arrived at george's hotel. he tapped another text into his phone, stating that he'd arrived. george said he'd be down in like, a minute.

and he was. he ran out of the front doors of the hotel building, looking frantically, and finding the car.

"h-hi, sorry for making you w-wait," george said anxiously.

"don't worry about it. a passenger made me wait for an hour once." they both laughed at this. he remembered that girl that made him wait for an hour and then tried to hit on him the whole drive. the worst customers to have.

george was one of the good ones. he was sweet, didn't talk too much, and didn't have awful music taste.

and he was slightly attractive.

no. shut up.

even though he knew, clay didn't want to except the fact that he was gay. he had one girlfriend- and that didn't go very far. she got pissed at him for never wanting to... do anything with him. blame it on the attraction, because his loyalty lied in the men's side.

"where do you need to go?" dream asked, coming off as impatient.

"uh, the grocery store? that costco about five miles away?"

"alrighty. you can play some music if you'd like." he smiled, to make this response seem nicer. george's face was slightly pink, probably from the lightly mean tone that dream had used earlier. 

"thank you for driving me, i know i should have just gotten anyone from the app instead of waking you."

"it's alright. my pleasure. i don't mind driving you around- i'll be your personal chauffeur. i'd love to."

"come on now clay, i can't do that. you have work to do."

"well, you don't hit on me like ninety-eight percent of my other passengers do. i think i'd rather the respectful one." george blushed at this comment. the pinkness of before had creeped across his face even more.

"people hit on you? while you work? that's just disgusting," the british man responded, and dream agreed.

he wouldn't mind if george flirted with him though.

fuck. off.

"yeah, it sucks. i'm just happy you don't." he smiled as he delivered the comment, because it was true.

the two had arrived at george's stop.

"thank you, thank you so much clay. here," he said, gently placing a twenty into the cup holder of the car.

"george, i'm not gonna take your money, alright? just go. get yourself something nice. a boy as sweet as you deserves it." a boy? he's like, twenty-three!

"clay. this is literally your job."

"i don't care. i'm financially stable as it is. please, george. i'll literally stay here and drive you home too."

that escaped from his mouth.

"d-don't do that for me! go, i can catch another uber-"

"i'm driving you home."

\--------

george didn't take too long in the costco- maybe thirty minutes at the most. he'd left his phone in the car, which dream had discovered when he tried to text him and ask if he needed help bringing his stuff to the car. good job, george.

he was walking out to the car, with stuff basically falling off of his arms. he was clothed in grocery bags.

"george, i would have come in with you and helped!" dream scolded, and george giggled.

"i'm fine. i do this all the time back in brighton."

"damn, that's far away."

"yeah, i know. i'd like to live in the states one day."

"it's... alright here." george chucked at this comment as the two continued their drive back to george's hotel.

"do you wanna... drive around for a little bit more? if you don't have plans of course," dream asked, and george happily agreed. the two put on some music and enjoyed the vibes that miami had to offer.

since it was only around noon, the city was bright and buzzing with action. people were everywhere- on the beach, blowing all their money in shops, and walking on the sidewalks. there were even some people in the clubs already, and it was only noon.

"thank you for driving me today clay. i know i said it earlier but i'm saying it again," george said over the low music. talking over arctic monkeys? how dare he?!

"it's no problem, george. i like riding with you."

for once, dream actually wanted to be at "work" and not at home watching minecraft videos. though he was this hot god on the internet, he actually just liked to eat snacks and watch gaming videos in his off time. not work out or fuck bitches or whatever else people thought he did.

one of his favorites was this one guy, a streamer named george. georgenotfound. he was british, and was sort of dream's "celebrity crush."

and he looked, sounded, and acted a lot like the british guy in the car next to him.

"george?"

"yeah, clay?"

"would you happen to be a streamer by any chance?"

"uhh, yeah, i am actually. my stuff's not really that good."

"wait. shit. georgenotfound?"

"fuck," he mumbled before continuing. "yes, that's me. what're you getting at here, dreeeam?"

"i've been watchin' your streams for years." how does one just tell someone that you've been crushing on them for months behind a screen?

and the two men both erupt in laughter. 

for clay, it was a dream come true. he just... met his longtime crush on a random day in july? he'd literally spent hours reading fanfiction about him, though he'd never admit it to a soul.

he knew he recognized george in some way. maybe the voice, maybe the behaviors. he never would have thought that he was the george.

this was bound to be interesting.


	5. realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dream's not the only one finding things out.

george- miami, july twelfth.

what was he going to do that night? the day had been so interesting. this random hot guy he'd met in an uber ended up being a big fan of his. he could just imagine this dude lying in his bed, with george's stream cast to his tv. him laughing at his shit jokes with friends.

him admiring george as he did what he loved.

fuck, he wanted to stop thinking like that. he didn't want to want clay. yes, he was dangerously hot. charming. caring. he was the full package.

nah, fuck that. george was not ready for another relationship. he'd gotten out of an abusive one like, three days prior.

or was he?

\--------

after a day wasted doing nothing, it was dinnertime. he'd planned to go out to like, a chinese place or something. just anywhere he could get good food and relax. he'd thought so hard about his whole clay situation. making a bigger deal out of something small, of course. it was his favorite pastime.

he pulled his phone out and googled places to eat near him.

panda express? nah. chipotle? not in the mood. five guys? maybe another night.

spoiler alert, he ended up choosing chipotle anyways. the nearest one was only a ten minute walk away from his hotel room.

he didn't want to call dream again and ask for a ride.

george pulled his shoes on and started on his way to the chipotle, making sure he had his wallet. god, that'd be embarrassing if he forgot.

as he walked, he took in the sights of the city. it was slightly different from the streets of brighton- more drunk people wandering, he supposed. he felt so lonely, though surrounded by other pedestrians.

"fuckin' finally," he mumbled as he made his way into the restaurant. he already knew his order.

"c-can i get a burrito bowl?" he asked the worker behind the counter, and then proceeded to describe his order. she gladly took it and sent him to wait over to the side.

and you'll never fucking guess who he saw.

"hi george!" said that stupidly attractive blondie. clay.

"oh, hey clay!" he smiled warmly. it's not that he didn't want to see him- he really, really did- he just was feeling weird about it.

the two chatted for a bit while they waited, just small talk. nothing interesting.

soon, dream's good was finished, and he took his food and started on his way, but not before dropping a fucking bomb.

"george, do you wanna come eat with me?"

"su-sure, clay."

they took their food and headed out to the outdoor eating area, but it was full. "we can go to my car?" clay said, and george shyly agreed. eating in the car with a hot guy? was it a date?

no, dumbass, it wasn't.

unless...

it's a date if the feelings are there, is it?

fuck off.

"goddammit, i left my fucking drink at the counter," dream mumbled.

"i can go grab it," george offered subconsciously.

"absolutely not. don't let your food get cold over me."

were his lips always that perfect?

fuck off, i said. fuck off.

"it's fine, clay."

"i'm gonna go get it now."

and so dream hopped out of the camry and went into the restaurant, and came out a few minutes later with his drink.

"sorry, i had to wait in the line and shit."

"it's alright."

the two men ate, chatter kept to a minimum. they talked about small shit.

"ugh, i said i'd go to this party for a friend tonight but like, i don't wanna go. i don't fucking know anyone other than her," dream said.

"i haven't been to a party in like, five years," george responded, and they laughed.

"you should come with me. be the one interesting person there. plus, i kinda wanna get to know you better. you're interesting, george."

george's heart skipped a beat at this. a party with clay? a random person's house in a different country with a very attractive male that he didn't hate? it was seemingly too good to be true.

"sure, i'd love to, clay!"

"great. it's at like, nine tonight, so we've got some time to get ready and shit."

\--------

the two finished their dinner and drove off, stopping at george's house for him to get ready.

"what are you wearing?" george asked dream.

"i don't know. black jeans and some green shirt probably."

"alright. i'll wear... fuck, i only brought jeans. i guess i'm wearing jeans. do you think a maroon sweater would be okay?"

"i bet you'd look good in anything, george."

he blushed at this remark as he grabbed his clothes and disappeared into the bedroom to change. the sweatshirt he'd picked messed his hair up a little bit, but the jeans looked nice. he'd cuffed them and put some black combat boots on as well.

dream was admiring him as he walked out.

"you look really good in maroon," he said.

"th-thank you, clay."

"no problem."

and with this, the two walked off to the car, destination being dream's apartment. george wondered what it was like.

as they drove, they played some music. tonight's song was "i wanna be yours" by arctic monkeys. a personal favorite.

"i like this song," dream said with a smile. a bastardly cute smile.

"same."

the silence between the guys was comfortable as the music rolled in the background. this song was... interesting to listen to next to someone that you kinda had the hots for.

"secrets i have held in my heart,

are harder to hide than i thought,

maybe i just wanna be yours,

i wanna be yours."

yeah, definitely not good for a moment like this. these pants fit well enough in the crotch, they didn't need to be tighter.

"we're here!" dream said after a while of not speaking. the two got out of the car and headed into the apartment complex, and into dream's.

"it's a little messy," he said shyly as he went into his bedroom to grab clothes.

"don't worry. you should see my flat. streaming takes up time," george responded with a laugh.

"it probably isn't bad."

"oh, it is. it's clean now because i cleaned up before i left, but it's usually awful."

"whatever."

he runs off to the bedroom to get dressed, but george finds that he left the door cracked open. it took everything in him to not look through.

fucking pervert.

george walks into the living area, mostly to fight his temptation, and he finds a lot of pictures of dream on the walls. and by god, he was fucking hot. hotter than summers in arizona. hotter than a black car that's been sitting in the sun for three hours. hotter than fucking fire.

"damn," he'd muttered under his breath as he admired.

"like what ya see?" dream said from the hallway.

"what?"

"i'm just kidding. let's get on our way now."

\--------

the drive to the party was quiet. george was too afraid to speak after he'd gotten caught admiring the photos of dream on the walls. they were all modeling shoots, he'd suspected, or so they looked. dream as a model?

this here piqued his interest. he pulled his phone out, and with the brightness down, went to instagram and searched his followers for "dream."

and sure enough, he found him.

"you're a model?" george said, and dream immediately went pink.

"yes, why?"

"i could tell from the pictures on the walls," he said, but that was a lie.

"yeah, those were some of my better shoots. i took those myself actually."

"damn. you're talented."

"i watched your videos while doing them."

george laughed at this, and dream did too. soon enough, both men were just laughing their asses off in the car.

this night was gonna be so much fun.


	6. mistakes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the two made a mistake.  
> unless...?

dream- miami, july twelfth.

the two guys walked up the stairs to the party. dream really didn't want to go, but it was better with george there.

he didn't want to think this, but george looked hot.

shut it.

he just wanted to grab him and hold him forever. he was so precious. so dainty.

"hi ashley!" dream greeted his friend as they entered the house. ashley smiled warmly and asked about george.

"oh, that's my friend george," he'd responded, giving george a small side hug. he blushed and hugged back.

"friend, huh?" she teased, and now dream was the one blushing.

"yes, ash. my friend." the two got on their way and went to the kitchen. they were so close, the smaller man lashed on

"i'm not drinking tonight, or at least not until i get back," george said.

"me neither. i want to remember this night."

george and dream spent their first few moments of the night just hanging around, introducing george to everyone. they all seemed to love him. a lot of people were sad that he was from abroad.

a lot of people also asked if they were dating. like, "oh my! and is this dream's boyfriend?" they'd say with a giggle. george would awkwardly shift on his feet, smiling dully. dream noticed this and thought it was fucking precious.

"you alright?" he'd asked when george began biting his fingernails.

"yeah, i-it's just... parties like this make me anxious and stuff," he responded, and dream looked at him with sympathy.

"we can go to my house,' he responded, and george smiled as he agreed. the two had been at the party for a long ass time anyways.

dream was kinda excited to take george back home to his apartment for the night.

not like that, creep.

"you ready to go?" he asked, and george nodded weakly. they headed out to the car, dream holding his wrist.

"th-thank you," he stammered as they started the car up. sweet, shy, anxious george.

"george, don't worry about it. you can stay at mine for the night if you want. i won't mind."

yeah, you'd like it, clay, and you know it.

shut up, asshole.

"i would like that," said that cute british boy, and dream smiled. a sleepover!

god, he sounded like a third grader.

the two listened to the song "helium" by glass animals.

"ooh, and i'm falling now but it's so wrong,

you talk like a man and taste like the sun,

ooh, you lift your eyes up from the dust,

i knew just then i knew it was done."

dream knew that falling for this nerdy minecraft streamer was wrong. so, so wrong. you can't just fall in love with someone because you've watched them play video games.

but he knew it was done. his time was up. he no longer had time to decide. because he'd already fallen so, so hard.

and he also wanted to know if george "tasted like the sun," but that's none of your business.

\--------

cw; slight nsfw and drinking

their night had been peaceful so far. the two had just hung around and sat on the couch, and ate some snacks. nothing big.

until they broke out the alc.

"do you want a drink?" dream asked, and george nodded. he poured him a glass of wine.

and then another.

and another.

and soon, the guys were tipsy, for lack of better adjective. not drunk enough to forget everything, but drunk enough to do something they shouldn't do.

and that they did. they were all over each other.

"you're so hot, you know that?" george said, taking a sip from his glass of wine. dream was basically on top of him on the couch, his hands steadying him above.

dream smiled as he looked at his lips, and before you knew it, they were one. george softly moaned as they made out drunkenly on the couch. both of them too out of it to know what they were doing. totally fucking themselves over.

"come with me," dream said, getting off of the couch.

and bringing george into his bedroom.

this would never, ever end well.

\--------

"what the fuck?" he heard someone mumble from beside him in his bed.

"george? what the hell?" dream responded, realizing that lacked both a shirt and pants, in only his boxers. he couldn't see george, but context clues would suggest that he wasn't very clothed either.

oh no. please tell me they didn't.

possible drunken sex on a random weeknight? what the fuck?

"dream..." george said. "what happened?"

he only remembered faintly. he remembered george coming home with him, and them pouring a few glasses of wine, and then pinning him to the couch, making out with him, and george moaning loudly in response. george moaning his name on the couch, and then following him to the bedroom, and then he didn't remember the rest.

"i think we got drunk last night. all i remember is us pouring a few glasses of wine and then- and then making out on the couch, and then coming here, and i forgot the rest."

"i don't think we..." george says, trailing off.

"me neither. i still have my underwear on."

"same."

the two sat up, and sure enough, george was unclothed. with only his boxers.

and a neck coated in purple bruises. hickeys, not like, injuries, dumbass.

"uhh... george? you might wanna go to the bathroom..." dream said nervously. "oh, and we should probably get some concealer. i ran out a few days ago."

"oh my god, what did you do to me?" george said, laughing. soon the two were both laughing their asses off, and george folded over into dream's lap.

a little weird considering the lack of clothes, but it's whatever.

"anyways... let's go get you cleaned up now," dream said. aftercare is important, people.

they trudge into the bathroom and look in the mirror. dream would never say it out loud, but the sight of george covered in his hickeys? hot.

"i don't know what to do," george said, motioning to his neck.

"concealer? frozen spoon? i have no clue either," dream responded, laughing. he threw george a sweatshirt of his to wear.

"i still have my clothes from last night, clay."

"umm... where are they?"

"on the floor, i'd assume," dream said, a little too flirtily.

"maybe they should stay there," george muttered.

"hm?"

"nothing."

"you want them to stay there?"

"wh-what?"

"i heard you."

"clay, i-"

"you said they should stay on the floor."

"fuck," george muttered under his breath. the two sit in a strange silence for a bit before dream's mouth decides to run.

"george, i'm sorry about last night. i shouldn't have gotten the drinks out."

"it's alright. it wasn't bad..."

he smirked.

\--------

they ended up going to the store and getting george some concealer for his purple problem. there was a comfortable feeling between the two. george was wearing dream's sweater, too big for him, but still cute. dream loved the sight of him in his clothes.

he wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for him and george to be something more than a one-night stand.

no. it was about as likely as a snowball's chance in hell.

"clay?" he'd asked as the drove home from the store.

"yeah?"

"did you like, i don't know, mean everything you did last night?"

dream thought for a second.

"i mean, part of it was drunk brain, but i'm not gonna sit here and say i didn't enjoy it when i did." george blushed at his response.

"same."

their next stop was george's hotel. he'd brought his stuff in the car with him.

as they pulled into the hotel's driveway, the two share a small exchange.

"when can i see you again, george?" dream asked him.

"your call."

"expect messages."

george laughed as he got out of the car, saying "goodbye" to dream.

what a hell of a guy.


	7. depth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're in too deep and they know damn well that they are.

george- miami, july thirteenth.

what the fuck.

seriously.

why did he go to that party? why did he agree to go back to dream's instead of his hotel? why did he accept a few drinks from him?

why did he make out with him?

they were both sober enough to have known better and they both fucking knew it.

what freaked george out even more was the photos in his phone. he opened his camera roll to look for something and found photos of him and dream from last night. a lot of him covered in hickeys. a few of dream kissing his neck. george blushed at the sight, running his hands over the marks on his neck.

he told dream that it was "his call" for the next time they saw one another. he knew he sure as hell wanted to see him again.

even if he was just a one-night stand, he still felt this feeling around him. like, the stereotypical butterflies, but with a twist. a dangerous twist.

dream wasn't just some hot guy he'd met on vacation. he was charismatic and flirty and caring and easy to be around. he was just...

he was everything george wanted that his past lovers didn't have, and more.

"are you kidding me?" george thought. "i can't fall for this fucking stranger."

except you could. nobody's saying you can't.

it was like dream was... out of a dream.

fuck off. there was no better way to describe it.

his phone's text tone sounded, and it was a message. a message from "clay."

"hey," it said. simple.

but george was wondering why dream still wanted to talk to him.

"hi!" he responded. he smiled at his phone as he saw clay typing.

"god i'm so hungover," said dream. george wasn't that bad, a slight headache.

"lol we didn't drink that much."

"tolerance levels"

"oh yeah."

"can i call you?"

"sure, one sec."

his phone rings and he picks up immediately.

"hey george," said dream quietly.

"hi clay. do you need anything?"

"no, i just wanted to talk to you."

george blushed a little.

"oh, alright. anything on your mind?"

"i can't stop thinking about you."

george's face blushes more.

what do you mean "you can't stop thinking about me?" he thought, but kept that shit to himself.

"what?"

"you heard me. i can't stop thinking about you."

"i-i," george awkwardly stammered into the phone.

"facetime?"

he joined dream's facetime and saw him sitting at his desk, typing something out on a laptop.

"george."

"yes?"

"do you... i don't know, do you actually feel anything for me? like, i know we kinda... yeah. but did that even mean anything to you? do i mean anything to you?" dream said this like he'd been holding it on for so long.

"if i answer truthfully, will it be weird?"

"george, not at all."

"i definitely do."

dream smiled brightly at him through the camera.

"i do too."

george knew it was sudden. he knew he'd known this guy for like, two days. but it was magnetic. like an automatic connection. he knew dream was what he had been waiting for his whole life.

"would you ever wanna... like, go get dinner or something?" george asked nervously.

"i thought you'd never ask. go get dressed."

he took his phone into the hotel bathroom and got ready, dressing up decently nice and spraying himself with cologne. combing his hair and popping his collar.

"you look very nice," dream said from the phone. he smiled.

"you do as well."

\--------

"where are you taking me?" george said as he and dream drove into the city.

"well, food first. where do you wanna go?"

"i don't know. i don't live here."

"oh, i know just where to take you."

they drive for a while more before pulling into a cane's drive through.

"it's not fancy, but goddamn is it good." dream laughs, and takes george into the restaurant. he held george's wrist.

"hi, can i have two three-finger combo boxes please?" he asked as george just admired him. "a coke with one and..."

"uh, diet coke please."

"and the other with a diet coke."

the cashier smiled and got to work on their food. they walked over to one of the booths to sit and eat.

"it smells good," george said, and dream laughed.

their food was ready soon after. george almost didn't catch it because he was too busy admiring.

"here you go cutie," dream said, making him blush.

"th-thank you clay."

they smiled and started eating their food.

"god, this is good," george said, earning a smile from his "date."

"i'm happy you're enjoying yourself." dream smirked as he said it. bastard.

"don't be like that!" george said, laughing with a flushed face.

"whatever georgie. lets finish up."

they ate the rest of their meals quietly, sneaking glances and stealing fries. dream let george take as many as he wanted off of his plate.

as they walked out of the restaurant, george stopped dream by the car.

"thank you for dinner, clay. it was very good."

"george, any time. i loved it."

they both smiled as george wrapped his arms around dream's waist, engulfing him in a warm hug.

"didn't you say we were going somewhere after dinner?" he asked the taller man, and he nodded.

"alright. it's a surprise."

both men got into the car and began their drive, playing some music. tonight's song was "electric love," a classic scream-along song.

"candy, she's sweet like candy in my veins,

baby, i'm dying for another taste," sang dream lowly, glancing at george, who was jamming in the passenger seat.

they continue singing through until towards the end, where george started to get really fuckin' confident.

"rushing through me,

feel your energy rushing through me,

feel your energy rushing through me," he sang, holding the last note out for a while.

"baby, you're like lightning in a bottle,

i can't let you go now that i got it,

and oh, all i need is to be struck by your electric love," they sang in unison. they laughed as the song ended, george doubling over as his breath ran out.

he also noticed dream staring at him every time they met a red light, smiling as he soaked in george's playful aura.

"you're so cute," he muttered, thinking nobody could hear.

"claaaay!"

"we're almost there," dream said, ignoring george's little whine.

"i don't know where 'there' is."

"you'll find out soon enough."

the car came to a stop in a parking lot by a boardwalk. george noticed lanterns in the sky and a ferris wheel, and other activities.

"wow," he said in awe as they entered the boardwalk. it was buzzing with life- couples and families dashing around, eating cotton candy and winning stuffed bears at games for one another.

"what do you wanna do?" dream said, smiling triumphantly as george soaked in the sights of his surroundings.

"wanna play some games?"

"sure!"

they chose one of those balloon popping games. george was absolute ass at it, but he still found himself with a stuffed bear.

a stuffed bear and a hand holding his. dream had won the bear for him. it was fluffy and pink and george absolutely adored it.

"thank you clay!" he'd said as he was handed the bear, hugging his date.

dream smiled down at him.

\--------

they'd been enjoying the boardwalk for a while. playing games, eating snacks, shit like that. george was head over heels for dream at this very moment. he was completely taken by his charming personality. by his sweet nature- the way he would caress his hand when he held it, how he'd put his hand on george's shoulder when they were both laughing hard.

"wanna go on the ferris wheel?" he asked the tall guy, and he smiled and lead him away to it.

they waited in line before being sorted into their cart, a green one with nice velvet seats. they were awfully close in the seat, with only a few inches between them.

"look at the sky," george said, staring out of the opening in the cart as they elevated. slowly, the two rose higher and higher into the sky, taking in the sights of the boardwalk below them. dream grabbed george's hand.

"he looks so beautiful in the moonlight," george thought as he turned to meet dream's gaze. the two locked eyes before he felt an arm wrap around him, and then his own arm wrapping around dream's torso.

"you're gorgeous," dream said as he leaned in, his pink lips slightly parted.

"so are you, clay."

and with this, their lips connected, engaging the two in a passionate kiss at the top of the ferris wheel. cliché, i know, but it's damn cute.

fireworks went off in george's heart. he was fucking ecstatic at the feeling of dream's lips on his, since now he was sober and could genuinely enjoy his loving touch.

"thank you so much for taking me here," george said as the two broke away.

"i'd do it every day if i could."

and then it hit him.

george was leaving in less than a week. he'd be in florida for like, five more days, and then he'd be leaving it all behind and going back to brighton. the thought alone was enough to send him into tears.

he wanted to be around clay forever.

he teared up a little as they went around the ferris wheel for a second time.

"george? are you alright?" dream asked him, worriedly.

"it's just- i know i have to leave in a few days, and i'm gonna miss this- you," he said, hardly being able to form a sentence. dream sympathetically held his hand, stoking his knuckles with his thumb, and eventually pulling george into his arms. "and i've hardly even met you and i already know it's gonna destroy me when i leave."

"shh... george, it's alright. we just gotta make the most of it while you're here."

this made george cry even harder.

"do you wanna go home, georgie?"

"y-yeah, i-i don't wanna ruin this for you."

dream sighed.

"george, you aren't 'ruining' this for me. i can always come back here. if anything, it's so much better with you here. i've been here so many fucking times but being here with you has been the absolute best. now let's get you home. you can come with me if you want. no drinking this time."

george nodded, and they got off of the ride and walked out to the car. dream let george play some music again, but the car stayed silent.

"clay, why do you care about me so much? you've known me for like three days. apart from my minecraft shit."

"it's just like, i don't know. i can tell that you're different than the rest. you're special. you're just what i want."

"what do you mean?"

"if i had to describe my dream boy, i'd just say 'george.'"

he took a deep breath after saying that. the butterflies in george's stomach had come right alive.

"you're so perfect. ever since i started watching your streams and shit, i'd always felt strangely drawn to you, and it's so much different- so much better in real life."

george knew that they were both in too deep already, but he still responded.

"i really like you, clay. you're familiar. comforting. you're everything i ever wanted."


	8. memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not all memories are good.

dream- miami, july thirteenth.

"i really like you, clay. you're familiar. comforting. you're everything i ever wanted."

the words lingered around dream's brain for minutes after they were said. he was ecstatic. he loved the idea of being george's one desire.

"we're here," dream said as he and george arrived at his apartment. george was still slightly gloomy due to his tears at the carnival, but he was getting better. only sniffling. 

"alright."

the two got out of the car and swiftly entered the building, and then dream's place. 

"i'll take the couch georgie. you can sleep in my bed."

he liked the idea of george sleeping peacefully in his bed, even if he'd liked the idea of himself lying in it as well better.

"no, it's alright clay."

"george, i'm not making you sleep on the couch."

"fine."

dream went off to shower as george got his things settled. 

when he got out, george was bawling his fucking eyes out on the bed.

"oh my god, are you okay?!" he immediately said, running over to george. he had only been wearing sweatpants. 

"i- sh-she's texting me-me," george said, choking on sobs.

"she?"

"my ex-girlfriend. she's awful, clay."

"want me to talk to her?"

"if you want to."

he handed dream the phone, open to a thread from a girl named "lucy."

"just go along with it, alright george?"

"alright."

dream dialed in the girl's number and called her.

"what do you want, ...?" she said, prissy voice. she also called george a fucking slur, but dream was ready.

"this is his boyfriend speaking."

"i knew you'd leave me for some fucking man. i knew it."

"do you know who the fuck you're talking to, little girl?"

lucy went quiet, and then hung up out of fear.

"here you go!" dream handed the phone back with a smile. george laughed.

now let's make that a reality, he thought as the smaller man blocked his ex.

\--------

tw abuse (fucking hate lucy. caleb energy)

george and dream's little night in was going so lovely. they'd been eating snacks and watching cookies (no alcohol this time) and almost cuddling on the couch. 

they'd been watching "fight club" when they began to tire. george kept yawning, and dream could hardly keep his eyes open.

"you ready for bed?" he asked the barely conscious british man next to him.

"yeah..."

george got up and walked to the bedroom, but not before sleepily muttering something. 

"are you sure you wanna sleep on the couch? because you can sleep in the bed with me, only if you want to of course."

"sure."

"alright, good. i kinda... i don't know, she just..."

and then he started crying again. 

"george, don't cry. she's gone."

i never really noticed the bruises and cuts before. 

"clay, i-i'm sorry."

"george it's alright. come to bed now." he ushered the guy into his room and closed the door behind them, and george ran to the bed and sobbed more. fuck.

"it's just- uh- like- every time i look down, i-i see the bruises," george says, his voice breaking. "and i h-hate them. i look so bad. i'm awful."

"no, no. don't think like that. you're fuckin' beautiful. she can't take that away from you. you're so beautiful." dream wasn't really very good at the whole consolation thing, but he was damn well trying. 

"i can't beautiful when i'm bruised like a fucking banana!" george cries.

"have you ever considered inner beauty?"

or how beautiful my hickeys on your neck look?

"i-i don't know."

"let's get some sleep, alright? do you want some space?"

george nods, but ends up creeping more and more towards dream as the seconds pass. 

"clay."

"yes georgie?"

"can you... can you hold me." it doesn't even come out as a question. 

"of course." dream wrapped his arms around george as he lightly cried into his shirt. 

"shh... it's alright. i'm here."

"thank you so much."

"it's beneficial for both of us." both of the men giggle lightly. oh, what a comforting feeling. 

george lightly dozes off, and eventually is out cold in dream's arms. fuck. well, i guess he isn't moving for a little bit. 

the two both are asleep about an hour later. 

"too bad we're only gonna be able to do this for a few more days," clay thought as he drifted off. "because i'm gonna miss you. i'm gonna miss you george. i know it's been three days but i'm gonna miss you- this. us. i'm gonna spend all my time wondering what i can do to either get you back or get over you and then eventually i'm gonna lose it all. i'm never gonna find someone like you and i know it, but falling in love with someone who lives four thousand fucking miles away was a dangerous risk to take from the beginning. i just wish we could be this forever. i can't believe you're gonna be leaving in five days. five fucking days. it feels like i'm counting down to my own death, not the leaving of a one-night stand that ended up blossoming into something much greater. i want you, and i want you forever."

this wasn't coming from "dream." it was coming from clay. all of these more complex feelings were the handiwork of clay's brain..

before he fully fell asleep, he wrote those exact words about george in the notes of his cell phone.

\--------

"clay?" george said softly. thanks to the passing of time, it was now the fourteenth of july. 

four more days after this one.

"georgie?"

"good morning." the brunet was snuggled up to him like they were trying to conserve body heat.

"good morning," he'd responded, nuzzling dream's cheek.

"i only get four more days after this one until i could possibly never see you again."

"what do you wanna do today?" clay asked like his brain wasn't trying to kill itself. 

"i don't know. it's not like i ever made plans for this trip. i came here because i just wanted- no, needed- to break away from it all," george sighed. 

"that's understandable. so..."

"have you ever been roller skating?" he asked with bright eyes. of course clay'd been roller skating.

"have you?"

"no, but i've always wanted to."

"go get ready."

george smiled in triumph and grabbed some clothes, and changed in the bathroom. 

as the two finished getting ready, clay pulled out his phone and began to google places to roller skate in miami.

"let's go cutie," he says as they get into the car.

second date.

hopefully there were many more to come, right?

\--------

tw slight ptsd

the two arrived at the roller skating rink. it was only thirty minutes away. 

"we're here," clay said, smiling down at george. they got out and walked into the large building, admiring the funky features of it. 

"look at the carpet!" george said in awe. it was that cool geometrical shape carpet in all of those childhood nostalgia arcades that everyone loves. 

"what would you do if i got that in my apartment?" clay joked.

"never return, probably."

he knew it was all in good fun, but the thought of george never returning stung like a million fucking wasps. 

they paid at the counter and got fitted for their skates, and soon headed out onto the floor. to nobody's surprise, george's balance was actual dog shit. 

"hold onto me," clay said. he abided. 

so much trust for a random stranger. 

oblivious. 

but he couldn't say that because he was the same way. 

george fell. a few times. but only one time left a bruise. and this bruise was not good for him. 

clay understood that he was hurting, but he didn't realize that it was so easy to trigger george's ptsd. post-tramp-skank disorder, clay thought as he remembered lucy.

however, george got back up and enjoyed the rest of their time skating. his shin was hurting, he said, but it wasn't causing him any mental anguish.

clay didn't realize that george was wearing mascara. and goddamn did he look so pretty. 

\--------

it had reached nighttime now. another day down with the assumed love of his life. 

four more until it's goodbye. 

fuck. 

it was only eight in the evening, and clay was already prepared to fucking sob his eyes out. he couldn't bear the thought of not having george. from the moment he'd laid his eyes on him, from the moment he'd recognized him on that drive, he knew that he was the one. 

he hoped george could say the same for him. 

"god, what is wrong with me? i'm fucking insane."

"soo... what movie do you wanna watch?" george said giddily, bouncing on the couch in his adorably huge tee shirt. for a summer night as hot as this one, he'd be better off wearing no shirt. 

but lucy and her bruises had ruined that for him.

"i don't know, what do you wanna watch cutie?"

george blushed at the little nickname. 

"maybe the harry potter movies?"

"sure."

and with that, they cuddled up on the couch, the sun setting on their third of seven days together. 

four more. 

only four. 

four.


	9. agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the two men finally said it aloud.

george- miami, july fifteenth

only three more days after today.

three more days with the one person that george had felt genuinely so attracted to. three more days with the man of his dreams.

three more days with clay. 

george was awake before clay, curled up against him, warm. it was hot.

i mean, it was the middle of fucking july in florida, so of course it was hot. they were sweaty from the night before. 

they both wanted this forever. to be cuddled up in bed on hot summer nights like these, warming one another further. loving every second of it, even if they were slightly sweaty. 

"clay?" george whispered softly.

"yes?"

"what are you doing today?"

"i think i have work."

"aww."

"i bet you could come with me. just sit in the passenger's seat?"

"sure. i'd be glad."

the two got up and got ready. sure, spending the day working with clay wasn't the most romantic of all "dates," but it was more time with clay.

and that's all george wanted.

\--------

"you ready to go?" clay called to him from the foyer of the apartment. george had taken a bit to get ready. 

"yes," he responded, and the two headed out the door and to the car. their first customer was a girl by the name "maria," and she was nice enough. her music taste was shit. 

george wished that clay was the one picking the songs. anyone could tell that both of the men were sick of listening to maria's shitty songs. they'd listened to "believer" by imagine dragons like, three times in that thirty minute drive. it was awful. the song itself wasn't awful, but the repetitive playing was pissing clay off. 

"have a nice day," dream spat, his tone bored. "thank you for the tip."

george felt bad. he loved his job so much, and it felt awful to see dream hating his own. the way he was so bored. 

"i think we have just one more customer," dream said. "fuck."

"what's wrong?" george had asked, innocently. 

"nothing."

but it wasn't nothing. 

but george had learned from experience not to push it or he'd be getting bruised. 

the memories. fuck them. the memories were way too much for him to take. he began to cry softly. 

"george?" dream asked, looking at him and quickly reverting his glance to the road. "what's wrong?"

"nothing, clay. do you think you could drop me off at my hotel room before this next customer?"

"yeah, i've got time. two hours until i have to pick her up."

"alright."

they drove in pure silence. no music, no chatter. the only audible sound being the turbulance of the car against the road and the sniffles from george as he cried. poor thing. he thought he looked so weak, sitting there and crying in the passenger's seat of an old toyota while the mystifying driver worried his ass off about him. 

"we're here," dream croaked. "george."

"what?"

"what happened?" dream unbuckled his seatbelt as he leaned over, holding george's hand under his on the console. "did i do something wrong?"

"no. you didn't. i'll call you later, but can you p-please let me go?" george whispered. he felt unsafe. he didn't know why. 

"that's fine. i'll be at my apartment later, around eight. if you need me. or text me."

and george hummed in response, so dream continued.

"be safe."

\--------

sitting in that room for hours. george had yet to text or call dream. he didn't want to bother him. 

when he called lucy to let things out to her during their relationship, she told him to "shut the fuck up, you weak bitch."

he felt so guilty, but so, so, so scared. he was afraid that dream would get mad at him. maybe hit him. possibly. 

some would argue that dream would NEVER hit him, but that's what george thought about lucy, and we see how that played out for him. for the longest time, he thought that his girlfriend slapping the shit out of him was normal. 

boy, was he wrong. 

his heart wanted to call dream, and his body wanted to sit there and sob. but he couldn't waste time. precious time. precious time with dream. 

he picked up his phone and typed in the number. the one displayed on his card. 

"george?" dream said. "are you alright?"

"where are you?" george croaked in response. 

"on my way."

"n-no, go back to work."

"i finished work an hour ago."

george was scared that dream was going to hit him. that's why he didn't want him to come. but dream cared too much to let him be alone.

george hung up the phone in a whirl of anxiety and buried his face in that shitty hotel pillow. no pillow would ever be as comforting as the ones that dream's bed was adorned with. 

did george event want to see dream? he didn't know. shit, nobody knew. i guess he would find out when dream got there. 

he waited. 

and waited. 

and waited. 

until there was a knock at his hotel room door. he got up off of the bed and scrambled to the kitchen to answer it. 

"c-clay?" he stammered. "is that you?"

"yes, george. please let me in."

he opened the door and let the taller man in, and was immediately wrapped into a hug. 

"my god, i was so worried. are you alright? what happened?" dream frantically pressed. george felt like he was going to faint. 

"i-i was thinking- thinking about her," the brit quietly admitted, a sob breaking out at the end. he hated thinking of lucy. she broke him. ruined him. 

even while they were together, he'd been developing PTSD. he jumped every time someone did so much as dropped a plate, sending shattered glass around the floor. he freaked out when his friends would jokingly fight, in real life or on stream. 

and it was worse when it was lucy. one time, she called his name from across her flat, and george jumped like he'd been electrocuted. 

"george!" clay said, shaking his shoulders. "are you alright?"

was he ready for someone else? he wasn't sure if he hated or loved being touched. 

but he liked that it was dream. 

"y-yes."

"are you certain?"

"no."

dream hugged him tighter as he sobbed. 

"i-i was scared. you seemed annoyed and i thought you were gonna h-hit me like she used to!" george cried out. clay's face was immediately washed over with sympathy. 

"oh, george. i would never physically harm you. please don't ever think that. i don't know what's going to happen with... this, after you go back to brighton, but i will never, EVER put my hands on you in that way. i'll only show you love."

did... did dream LOVE him?

because george thought he might love dream. 

"clay?"

"hm?"

"i-i think i might l-love you."

dream looked like he was going to cry tears of joy.

"thank god. jesus fuck, thank god. i was afraid i'd never get to tell you."

"tell me what?"

"that i love you, georgie. i love you."

and instead of tears of sadness, george cried tears of joy. he loved him back. 

they loved each other. these two virtual strangers fell in love over a course of not even a week. a hot uber driver and a nerdy minecraft streamer fell in love. 

and they only had three more days left.


End file.
